It's why he decided to give himself the equivalent of a
real-world MBA by not only reaching out to Silicon Valley's most
prominent investors, executives, and entrepreneurs, but the top
performers across a wide variety of fields to learn as much as
possible.

For example, Chesky considered the challenge as CEO of building a
transparent culture and being available to employees. Who better, he concluded, to ask
about leading while keeping information privileged than a former
director of the CIA?

He reached out to George Tenet, who served in the role from 1997
to 2004. There were several key takeaways, according to Fortune:

Make yourself visible. Tenet said he would
always eat lunch in the office cafeteria, choosing a new seat
each day.

Be personal. Tenet got into a habit of
hand-writing notes to employees. "The former CIA chief told him
that some of the most meaningful moments in his job were when
he'd see a card he wrote an employee years ago still tacked on
to his or her wall," Fortune reports.

Think of yourself as the captain of a ship.
Tenet gave Chesky a simple but profound metaphor: Imagine your
company as a ship, with a portion above and below the
waterline. As captain, it's your duty to not only steer the
ship, but keep it from sinking. A captain doesn't belong in the
belly of the ship, but needs to be aware of any holes that may
appear in the hull and ensure that the right people
are in place to plug those holes. At the
wheel, you need to use your unique position to steer the ship
according to two or three main principles. Chesky has chosen to
focus on product, brand, and culture.